This invention relates to devices for enhancing the performance of shoes or braces. More particularly, the invention relates to supports that are incorporated in the soles of shoes to improve the vertical jump, the lateral agility, and the running stride of the shoe wearer. The supports also provide cushions for the heel and the ball of the foot to prevent injury occurring from pounding the foot against a hard surface. In addition, the supports facilitate walking by providing an upward force in response to downward deflection mimicking the natural motion of the foot and easing the stress of walking on the foot. The supports also correct congenital defects such as pronation and supenation by urging the foot into the correct position while walking or exercising.
The embodiments of the invention also provide supports to reinforce the joints and prevent unwanted twisting, rolling, rotating, or bending. The supports may be incorporated in shoes to integrally provide reinforcement of the ankles or may be used in separate ankle braces to prevent unwanted or excess rolling, twisting, or bending of the ankle. Alternatively, the supports may be inserted into the ankle or body regions of shoes to provide additional reinforcement to the foot without being integrally encapsulated into the shoe; as such these supports function as orthodic appliances. The supports may also be used in knee, wrist, shoulder, or elbow braces to prevent unwanted twisting or bending at these joints. The supports may also be incorporated into rib, or other bone, guards to reinforce the ribs, or other bone, and distribute the stress applied to the ribs, or other bone. This prevents extremely concentrated force, which potentially causes fracture or other injury to the rib, tibia, or other bone.
Current techniques for providing a cushion or spring involve using pockets of air incorporated in the shoe sole. Such pockets are intended to decrease and distribute the impact upon the foot when landing on a hard surface but do not exert an opposing force on the foot capable of aiding the shoe wearer in walking, running, or jumping. In addition, air pockets must typically be inflated to high pressures so the pockets have enough rigidity to withstand the weight of the shoe wearer without collapsing; as such, the pockets do not provide enough compression to cushion the foot. A need thus exists for shoe supports that are capable of being deflected a predetermined amount in response to an external force and exerting an opposing force in response to the deflection.
The embodiments of the present invention provide shoes that contain superelastic supports that elastically return towards their baseline configuration when deflected by an external force. As such these superelastic supports may be utilized in the soles of shoes to produce an opposing force once deflected and enhance walking, running, moving side-to-side, or jumping. The supports also correct abnormalities such as pronation and supenation by directing the foot into the desired position for walking or exercising.
The embodiments of the present invention also provide shoes, inserts, or braces that contain superelastic supports to reinforce the ankle, knee, elbow, ribs, shin, other bone, or other joint by preventing unwanted or excess twisting, rotating, localized stressing, or bending at the joint or bone. The embodiments also provide braces incorporating superelastic supports that reinforce or stabilize anatomic structures thereby treating sprains, fractures, or other injury. In addition, the embodiments provide braces to reinforce or apply continuous force on the sternum or ribs and ensure rapid and evenly distributed healing of the sternum or ribs after open heart surgery involving a median sternotomy, thoracotomy, or thoracostomy.
The above described and many further features and advantages of the present invention will be elaborated in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.